Organism Monitoring Systems and Organism Monitoring Devices

Abstract

Organism monitoring systems and organism monitoring devices are described. According to one aspect, an organism monitoring system includes an organism monitoring device configured to be associated with an organism, the device comprising control circuitry configured to generate a binary sequence, and an antenna coupled with the control circuitry and configured to transmit a wireless signal externally of the organism according to the generated binary sequence, a plurality of receivers positioned at different locations and configured to receive the wireless signal transmitted by the organism monitoring device at different moments in time, and wherein each of the receivers is configured to output data regarding the wireless signal received at the individual receiver, and a computing system configured to receive and use the data regarding the wireless signal received by the receivers to determine a location of the organism monitoring device and the organism.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An organism monitoring system comprising:
 an organism monitoring device configured to be associated with an organism, the organism monitoring device comprising:
 control circuitry configured to generate a binary sequence comprising a plurality of bits; and 
 an antenna coupled with the control circuitry and configured to transmit a wireless signal externally of the organism monitoring device according to the generated binary sequence; 
   a plurality of receivers positioned at different locations and configured to receive the wireless signal transmitted by the organism monitoring device at a plurality of different moments in time, and wherein each of the receivers is configured to output data regarding the wireless signal received at the individual receiver; and   a computing system configured to receive and use the data regarding the wireless signal received by the receivers to determine a location of the organism monitoring device and the organism in a plurality of dimensions when the wireless signal was transmitted externally of the organism monitoring device.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the data indicates the different moments in time of the reception of the wireless signal by the receivers, and the computing system is configured to use the different moments in time to determine the location of the organism monitoring device and the organism. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the receivers are each configured to receive the wireless signal at a plurality of additional moments in time as the organism and the organism monitoring device move throughout an environment about the organism. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the organism monitoring device comprises an oscillator, the control circuitry is configured to control the oscillator to generate an oscillation signal according to the binary sequence, and the antenna is configured to transmit the wireless signal in response to the oscillation signal. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the binary sequence is a pseudorandom sequence. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5  wherein the binary sequence is a Gold code. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the binary sequence has a bandwidth within a range of 1 to 12.5 MHz. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the organism monitoring device comprises an oscillator configured to output a timing signal of at least 2 MHZ, and the control circuitry is configured to use the timing signal to generate the binary sequence. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the receivers include at least four receivers. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the computing system is configured to determine different locations of the organism monitoring device at a plurality of different moments in time. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the computing system is configured to use Time Difference of Arrival of the wireless signal by the receivers to determine the location of the organism monitoring device and the organism in at least one of the dimensions. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the organism monitoring device comprises a sensor configured to output data indicative of the location of the organism monitoring device in a first of the dimensions, and the computing system is configured to use the data from the sensor to determine the location of the organism monitoring device and the organism in the first of the dimensions. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the computing system is configured to use the data regarding the wireless signal received by the receivers to determine the locations of the organism monitoring device and the organism in a second and a third of the dimensions. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the sensor is configured to monitor a pressure of an environment about the organism monitoring device and the organism to generate the data indicative of the location of the organism monitoring device in the first dimension as a result of the monitoring by the sensor. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the organism monitoring device is a first organism monitoring device, and further comprising a second organism monitoring device positioned at a known location in the first dimension and comprising a sensor configured to monitor a pressure of an environment about the second organism monitoring device, and wherein the computing system is configured to use the monitored pressure of the second sensor to determine the location of the organism monitoring device in the first of the dimensions. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the organism monitoring device is configured to communicate the data from the sensor to the computing system using the wireless signal. 
     
     
         17 . An organism monitoring device comprising:
 a housing configured to be associated with an organism;   a sensor coupled with the housing and configured to monitor an environment about the organism monitoring device and the organism and to output data indicative of the monitoring of the environment and a location of the organism monitoring device and the organism in a first of a plurality of dimensions;   signal generation circuitry coupled with the housing and the sensor, and wherein the signal generation circuitry is configured to receive the data outputted by the sensor and to generate an oscillation signal comprising the data; and   an antenna coupled with the housing and configured to receive the oscillation signal comprising the data from the signal generation circuitry and to transmit a wireless signal comprising the data externally of the organism monitoring device and the organism.   
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 17  wherein the signal generation circuitry comprises:
 control circuitry configured to generate a binary sequence; and 
 an oscillator coupled with the control circuitry and configured to generate an oscillation signal according to the binary sequence, and the antenna is configured to transmit the wireless signal in response to the oscillation signal. 
 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 18  wherein the control circuitry controls selective powering on and off of the oscillator according to the binary sequence to generate the oscillation signal. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 18  wherein the binary sequence is a pseudorandom sequence. 
     
     
         21 . The device of  claim 18  wherein the signal generation circuitry comprises another oscillator configured to output a timing signal of at least 2 MHz, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to use the timing signal to generate the binary sequence. 
     
     
         22 . The device of  claim 17  wherein the sensor is configured to monitor a pressure of an environment about the organism monitoring device and the first dimension is altitude of the organism monitoring device. 
     
     
         23 . The device of  claim 17  wherein the organism monitoring device has a weight of approximately 700 mg or less.